The invention relates to the general field of fabricating metal containers, and to the specific field of fabricating a metal mailbox.
In addition to the utilitarian function of protecting mail pick-up and delivery from the elements, mailboxes often are used as outdoor decoration. Fine quality mailboxes can be used to match or complement the architectural style of the residence or grounds with which they are associated.
Some of the most attractive, and commensurately expensive, mailboxes are metal structures fabricated by casting the entire box, sans trap door and other accessories, in foundry molds. A similar alternative is to cast the walls and floor in one mold, and the roof in another, then join the roof over the cavity. In either method, the beauty of the box derives in part from the intricate surface detail that can be produced in a mold, blended with the appearance of structural mass and permanence.
The drawback to cast metal mailboxes boxes is clearly the cost of fabrication. Mailboxes can be made much more cheaply by assembling stamped parts, or parts cut from a metal sheet or roll, but it is difficult to give these inexpensive boxes the appearance of a cast mailbox. Usually the surface detail is added in plastic molding strips or polished metal plates attached to the sidewalls by screws or adhesive.
Consequently, this invention is directed to a method of fabricating mailboxes with an appearance that closely resembles, and creates the illusion of, a decorative cast metal mailbox, while forming at least the sidewalls and floor in a less expensive manner.
The invention uses extruded metal angle bars as the stock for fabricating the floor and side walls. The bars can be extruded at relatively low cost in lengths of twenty to thirty feet or more, and then cut into pairs of equal length billets to be joined together. An extruded of this type has a generally L-shaped cross section, comprising an elevation flange and a base flange. The dimensions are chosen such that the length of the elevation flange corresponds to the height of the sidewalls, and the length of the base flange corresponds to one-half of the width of the floor.
The extruded bars can be custom made for the mailbox fabrication. The extruder dye is designed to produce a flat inside face on the elevation flange, while the outside face of the elevation flange has one or more areas shaped as a decorative molding detail. The extruder dye also produces a generally flat outside face on the base flange, while the inside face of the elevation flange has a pattern of longitudinal raised ribs.
Two equal-length billets can be cut from an extruded bar, or from identical extruded bars, at a length selected for the desired depth of the mailbox cavity. The billets are then positioned to face each other, with the ends aligned, and welded together at spots along the seam. This produces a mailbox cavity that, when finished, appears to be a cast unit.
The cavity is then closed at one end by tack welding a back plate to the rear edges of the side walls created by the billets. The back plate can be east in a metal mold or cut to length from an extruded bar. In a preferred embodiment, the back plate continues the decorative molding detail of the sidewalls. This continued detail makes the entire mailbox cavity appear to be a cast unit.
To complete the appearance, an ornamental cast metal bonnet, complimentary to the molding detail, is placed over the cavity and attached to the side walls and back plate.
A hinged door is added to the front, and other accessories may be applied to the box. Some specifics of these features will be apparent from the detailed description which follows.